Apparatus for controlling the motion of boats



Oct. 16, 1962 G. .1. CURTIS 3,058,442

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MOTION 0F BOATS Filed May 25, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Gera/a z/ Cu/f/J INVENTOR.

ArrQAWEK APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MOTION OF BOATS Filed May 25, 1962 G. J. CURTIS Oct. 16, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J k E r ,m M 0N m w r .m A u M m w m AA w @m M 0 J W: 5 P. a w W ilnited rates 3,058,442 APPARATUS EUR CQ'NTROLLING TEE MDTIGN 6F BOATS Gerald 5. Curtis, 8806 Glen Loch, Houston, Tex. Filed May 25, 1962, Ser. No. 197,620 7 Qiaims. or. 114-665) This invention relates to apparatus for controlling the motion of a boat in the water and more particularly to a device designed to be attached to the stern of a boat and which is positioned for coaction with the water during forward movement of the boat to control lateral and longitudinal tilting movements of the boat.

In the operation of boats, and especially boats of the type used in racing, it is often important to be able to exercise some control over the lateral and longitudinal tilting movements of the boat during forward propulsion of the same. Slight irregularities in the shape of the hulls of boats of this type, such as may be caused by warping or other imperfections sometimes results in uncertainty in the performance of the boats in the water especially when the same are operated at high speeds.

Various methods of overcoming the above difficulties have been proposed heretofore, such as by the attachment of rearwardly extending plates or brackets to the stern of the boat to form extensions of the bottom of the boat having surface portions positioned for coaction with the water to stabilize the movement of the boat and reduce the lateral and longitudinal tilting of the same. As heretofore commonly employed devices of this kind are positioned by trial and error methods which do not make allowance for fine adjustment for variations in the conditions to be met. Other such devices have also been provided, which are capable of being adjusted while the boat is out of the water or is not in motion, but which cannot be readily adjusted during the operation of the boat.

The present invention has for an important object the provision of a device for attachment to boats for the purpose of trimming the position which the boat will assume upon forward movement of the boat in the water and which may be adjusted during the operation of the boat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for attachment to boats embodying a plate-like element adapted to be secured to the stern of a boat extending rearwardly from and in the general plane of the bottom surface of the boat and means for adjusting the inclination of the element relative to the bottom of the boat to trim the position assumed by the boat during its movement in the water.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a boat trimming device comprising a bracket of angle shape in cross-section adapted to be secured to the stem of the boat with one flange of the angle extending rearwardly substantially in the plane of the bottom of the boat and a flexible plate-like element carried by the bracket for movement from a position substantially in the plane of said one flange to a position extending downwardly at an angle to such plane.

Another object of the invention is the provision in a boat trimming device of the character referred to of means for adjusting the position of the plate-like element from a location forwardly of the stern of the boat.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat trimming device embodying an angle bracket secured to the stern of a boat with one flange extending rearwardly in the general plane of the bottom of the boat, and a flexible plate carried by the bracket and having a platelike portion disposed beneath said one flange in position for movement into and out of the plane of the lower face of said one flange, and including movable means mounted lee on the bracket in position for coaction with the bracket and plate to adjust the angular position of said plate-like portion relative to said one flange.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a boat trimming device of the type mentioned which is of simple design and rugged construction, which is easily attached to a boat and including means which may be operated from a position remote from the stern of the boat to adjust the trimming device While the boat is moving through the water.

The above and other important objects and advantages of the invention may best be understood from the following etailed description, constituting a specification of the same when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 is a top plan view, on a reduced scale, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and showing the same installed on a boat;

FEGURE 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal, central, crosssectional View, on an enlarged scale, of a boat trimming device of the invention showing the manner in which the same is secured to the boat and the manner in which the device is adjusted;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the parts of the trimming device of the invention as illustrated in PEG- URE 2, the parts being shown in disassembled relation;

FIGURE 4 is a central, longitudinal, cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale of the adjusting mechanism of the invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, the invention is illustrated in FIGURE 1 in connection with its application to a boat B of conventional construction, such as an outboard motor boat of the pleasure or racing type, having a transom T at its stern to which a portable outboard motor of the usual kind may be conveniently attached.

The boat trimming apparatus of the invention comprises a pair of trimming devices, generally designated Til, attached to the exterior of the transom T and extending rearwardly therefrom close to the bottom of the boat in position to provide portions of substantial area extending beyond the bottom of the boat in the general plane thereof to stabilize the boat in the water and to resist lateral and longitudinal tilting movement of the boat as the same moves through the water.

Each of the trimming devices or stabilizers ltl comprises a rigid bracket 12 of angle shape in cross-section of strong metallic construction, such as cast aluminum, bronze, or the like, having one flange 14 thereof perforated, as indicated at 16, for the reception of screws, bolts, or the like, such as that indicated at 18 in FIG- URE 2, whereby the bracket may be secured to the external face of the transom T, with theother flange 20 of the bracket extending rearwardly therefrom and in substantially the same plane as the bottom of the boat. The flange 14 is cut away, as shown at 22, in FIGURE 2, to provide a recess in the face of the flange which engages with transom T, and the flange 20 is likewise cut away as shown at 24 to provide a downwardly opening recess in its bottom face, the recesses 22 and 24 being provided to receive a flexible, plate-like member 26, having an upwardly extending flange 28 positioned in the recess 22 and a main body portion 30 which is positioned for vertical movement into and out of the recess 24. The flange 28 of the member 26 is perforated, as shown at 32 to provide openings through which bolts 34 may be extended to secure the flange 28 to the flange 14 of bracket 12 in the recess 22 thereof. The member 26 also has an upturned flange 36, opposite the flange 28, which may extend upwardly beyond the free edge of the flange 20 when the main body 26 of the member moves upwardly into the recess 24.

The flange 20 of the bracket 12 is formed with spaced apart openings 38, providing upwardly arched bosses or lugs 40 formed with inner arcuate bearing faces 4-2 in which the shaft 44 of a control element 46 is rotatably seated, which element has longitudinally spaced cam portions 48 on the shaft 44 positioned for vertical swinging movement into and out of the openings 38 upon rotation of the shaft 44. The control element 46 also has a centrally located, upwardly extending perforated lever arm 50. By this arrangement, it will be apparent that by the exertion of an upward pull on the lever arm 50, the earns 48 may be caused to swing downwardly by rotation of the shaft 44 on the flange 29 to engage the outer end portions of the cams with the upper face of the main body portion 30 of the plate-like member 26 to flex the plate-like member downward away from the bracket, to change the angular position of the platelike member relative to the plane of the bottom of the boat, and upon the relaxing such upward pull on the lever arm 56 the plate-like member will exert an upward force on the cams 48, to allow the main body portion 30 to move upwardly into the recess 44 to again position the member substantially in the plane of the bottom of the boat.

The bracket 12 may be provided with reinforcing gussets, such as those shown at 52 in FIGURE 3, extending between the flanges 14 and 26, to reinforce and rigidify the bracket.

By thus raising and lowering the plate-like element 26, the plate-like element may be positioned to exert more or less stabilizing force on the vertical tilting movement of the boat, and by positioning two such stabilizing devices in laterally spaced apart relation on the transom T, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, the devices will exert a stabilizing effect on lateral tilting movement of the boat.

For the purpose of adjusting the angular positions of the plate-like element 26, relative to the plane of the bottom of the boat, a flexible cable 56 may be attached to the perforated upper end of the lever arm 50, in any suitable manner as by means of a connector element 58 of conventional type, which cable is extended upwardly and over the upper edge of the transom T, through a guide tube 60, suitably clamped to the outer face of the transom, the cable extending longitudinally along the side of the boat to the front of the cockpit C thereof, and being attached to cable actuating mechanism suitably mounted at the front end of the cockpit.

A preferred embodiment of the cable actuating mechanism of the invention is illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, which mechanism is suitably mounted on the boat, at the forward end of the cockpit, in a position such that a pull may be exerted on the cable to actuate the lever 50 to rotate the cams 48 to adjust the position of the element 26 downwardly, or to relax such pull on the cable, to allow the element 26 to move upwardly. The cable actuating mechanism comprises a hollow casing or housing 62, of rectangular, or other suitable shape in cross-section, having at one end an external perforated flange 64 through which suitable fastening means as the bolts 66 may be extended, which extend through the wall of a dashboard or instrument panel 68 or other suitable support, to secure the housing thereto. The bolts 66 also pass through suitable perforations in a face plate 70, which is attached to the face of the dashboard 68 opposite the face, against which the housing is attached, which face plate is formed with an internal cavity 72, within which an external angular flange 74, on an actuating screw 76, is rotatably positioned, the screw 76 being provided at its outer end with a knob or wheel 78, and extending longitudinally into the housing 62, through a suitable opening 80 in the dashboard 68, the

actuating screw being threadably engaged in an internally threaded opening 82 in a sliding block 84 nonrotatably disposed in the housing for longitudinal sliding movement therein. The block 84 has an end opening 86, into which the end of the cable 56 is extended, and is provided with suitable means such as the set screws 88, for securing the cable to the block for movement therewith. The housing 62 also has an end opening 90, into which the end of the guide tube 69 is extended, and is provided with set screws 92 by which the guide tube is secured to the housing.

'It will be apparent that by this arrangement the knob or hand wheel 78 may be rotated in one direction to pull the block 84 longitudinally in the housing to exert a pull on the cable 56, to rotate the cams 48 in contact with the plate-like element 26, to move the element downwardly to change the angular position of the element relative to the plane of the bottom of the boat, and by rotation of the hand wheel in the other direction the block 84 may be moved in the housing in a direction to relax the pull on the cable 56, whereupon the element 26 may move upwardly under the influence of its own resiliency to reposition the element in a different angular relation of the plane of the bottom of the boat.

By providing each of the stabilizing devices with a separate cable, it will be apparent that the elements 26 may be adjusted to different positions whereby longitudinal and lateral stabilizing eifects may be exerted on the tilting movement of the boat in the Water during the operation of the boat.

It will thus be seen that the invention, constructed and operated as described above, provides apparatus for controlling the longitudinal and lateral tilting motion of a boat in the water, whereby the operation of the boat will be stabilized and such motion may be readily controlled while the boat is in motion.

The invention is disclosed herein in connection with a certain specific embodiment of the same, but it will be understood that this is intended by way of illustration only, and that numerous changes can be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a stabilizer for boats a flexible plate-like member of angular shape, means for supporting the member on the transom of a boat with one flange disposed parallel to and in contact with the external face of the transom and the other flange extending rearwardly in position for contact with the water to apply an upward force on the transom, means rotatably mounted on said supporting means for rotation about an axis parallel to said other flange, and means on said rotatable means positioned for engagement with said other flange to flex said other flange vertically upon rotation of said rotatable means to vary the angular position of said other flange relative to the bottom of the boat to adjust the upward force exerted by the water.

2. In a stabilizer for boats a flexible plate-like member of angular shape, a bracket of angular shape adapted to be secured to the transom of a boat with one flange in contact with the external face of and the other flange extending substantially horizontally away from the transom, the flanges of said bracket being recessed to provide a portion in which one flange of said member is disposed between the bracket and transom and another portion into and out of which the other flange of said member may move vertically, rotatable means mounted on the bracket for rotation about an axis parallel to said other flange of said member and means on said rotatable means positioned for coaction with the bracket and member to vary the angular position of said other flange of the member relative to the horizontal.

3. In a stabilizer for boats a flexible plate-like member of angular shape, a bracket of angular shape adapted to be secured to the external face of the transom of a boat with one flange extending substantially horizontally away from said surface, means for positioning the member on the bracket with one flange of the member extending be tween the bracket and transom and the other flange of the member supported beneath the other flange of the bracket in position for vertical flexing movement into and out of contact with the bracket, rotatable means mounted on the bracket for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and means rotatable with said rotatable means in position for engagement with said other flange of said member to flex said other flange of the member away from the bracket upon rotation of said rotatable means in one direction.

4. In a stabilizer for boats a flexible plate-like member, means for supporting the member on the transom of a boat with a planar portion of the member extending in a substantially horizontal plane rearwardly from the transom in position for vertical flexing movement away from said plane, rotatable means mounted on the supporting means for rotation about an axis parallel to said plane, means on said rotatable means positioned for engagement with said planar portion to flex the planar portion downwardly upon rotation of said rotatable means in one direction and means for rotating said rotatable means in said one direction.

5. In a stabilizer for boats a flexible plate-like member, means for supporting the member on the transom of a boat with a planar portion of the member extending in a substantially horizontal plane rearwardly from the transom in position for vetrical flexing movement away from said plane, rotatable means mounted on the supporting means for rotation about an axis parallel to said plane, means on said rotatable means positioned for engagement with said planar portion to flex the planar portion downwardly upon rotation of said rotatable means in one direction and to cause said rotatable means to rotate in the other direction upon movement of said planar portion toward said plane.

6. In a stabilizer for boats a flexible plate-like member, means for supporting the member on the transom of a boat with a planar portion of the member extending in a substantially horizontal plane rearwardly from the transom in position for vertical flexing movement away from said plane, a shaft rotatably mounted on the supporting means for rotation about an axis parallel to said plane, cam means carried by the shaft for rotation therewith in position for engagement with said planar portion to flex said planar portion away from said plane upon rotation of the shaft in one direction, an actuating element movably mounted on the boat and having a connection with said shaft to rotate the shaft in said one direction upon movement of the element in one direction and to allow the shaft to rotate in the other direction upon movement of the element in the other direction, said shaft being rotatable in said other direction by said cam means upon movement of said planar portion toward said plane when said element is moved in said other direction.

7. In a stabilizer for boats a flexible plate-like member, means for supporting the member on the transom of a boat with a planar portion of the member extending in a substantially horizontal plane rearwardly from the transom in position for vertical flexing movement away from said plane, a shaft rotatably mounted on the supporting means for rotation about an axis parallel to said plane, cam means carried by the shaft for rotation therewith in position for engagement with said planar portion to flex said planar portion away from said plane upon rotation of the shaft in one direction, cable means movably mounted on the boat, means forming a connection between said cable means and said shaft to rotate the shaft in said one direction upon the exertion of a pull on the cable, means for exerting a pull on the cable and for discontinuing such pull, said cam means being engageable with said planar portion to cause the shaft to rotate in the other direction upon movement of said planar portion toward said plane upon discontinuance of said pull.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,099,492 Luders Nov. 16, 1937 2,576,744 Anderson Nov. 27, 1951 3,002,485 Curtis Oct. 3, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 474,908 Great Britain Nov. 9, 1937 

